Prison Letters: Christ-like Attitude (Pt. 5)

Prison Letters: Christ-like attitude (Pt.5) 

(Philippians 2:5-11) 

(Part 1 of 2) 

“You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”-Philippians 2:5-11

The Apostle Paul, writing from prison, challenges the believers in Philippi to have the same attitude as Jesus. An attitude is a settled way of thinking or feeling about someone or something, typically one that is reflected in a person's behavior.

Evangelist D. L. Moody once said that “Attitudes determine our actions, for good or bad.”

He’s right, we don’t technically develop good attitude or bad attitudes about something. Rather, we have a settled way of thinking about something that then causes us to behave in positive or negative ways. 

That is why some people who are facing the same challenges as others react in a positive way and others in a negative way. The situation remains the same, but how they think about that situation, causes them to behave in a positive or a negative manner. I find it interesting that a man in prison is encouraging us to capture the attitude of Christ (a man who died on a cross). He doesn’t challenge us to have a good or bad attitude. He tells us to have Christ’s attitude, that is to capture the same settled way of thinking or feeling about something as Jesus and then let it be reflected in our response. 

This should challenge us to ask ourselves what was Jesus’ settled way of thinking about money? Sex? Religion? Authority? 

Here in Philippians, Paul is pointing to something very specific. An attitude that Christ had that we would all do well to capture. (One that Paul found to be very important in light of his own personal incarceration.)

Verse 6 begins like this: “Though He was God.” There is no argument here that Jesus understood: who He was, the scope of His authority, and the extent of His divine privileges. Yet, here was His attitude towards those things: “He did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.” Although He had every right to employ all the authority, power, and divine privilege afforded Him by being God, He did not see His personal rights as being greater than God’s divine purpose. 

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Prison Letters: (Pt.4) Does your conduct reflect Christ?

(Part 4) Study in Philippians 1:27-2:4 

“27 Only let your conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”-Philippians 1:27

Recently I’ve been seeing people post certain memes on Facebook that although I know are they meant to be funny or a little “tongue and cheek” give me caution:

“I’m a Christian, but don’t mess with me,  I’m from the south side of the kingdom”

“Holy enough to pray for you, hood enough to swing on you.”

“I love God, but I curse a little”

Here is my thought, I know that none of us are perfect, but have we completely given up on holiness?  Have we determined that holiness is so far out of reach, we are going to settle for a slightly better version of ourselves rather than strive to be like Christ? 

Paul admonished the believers at Philippi to “let their conduct be worthy of the gospel of Christ.” In essence, he was saying, “Don’t claim to love Jesus yet not live in accordance with God’s word.” There is nothing that cripples the church more than people who claim to live like Christ, but don’t execute and then make excuses for why they don’t.  One of my greatest concerns is how casually Christians pardon their own poor behavior. Our lives are suppose to be a reflection of Christ, by pardoning our own bad behavior we diminish how people see Jesus.

Believe it or not, holiness matters to God. Take sometime to read 1 Peter 1:16,  

2 Corinthians 7:1,  & Hebrews 12:14. Holiness for many though, unfortunately, has become more of a lofty idea than a practical pursuit. 

True holiness sets us apart from a world steeped in sin. Perhaps that is why many refuse to pursue it, because holiness reaps you a reputation by setting you apart. Paul said, whether I come and see you or “hear about your affairs”. Paul wanted the church to have a reputation of unity that proceeded them. A reputation reaped from being unified by a shared purpose (the gospel) and by shared experiences (sufferings).

“For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.”-Philippians 1:29

Holiness often bears with it some degree of suffering. This, also, poses a problem for some.  When you couple being set apart with suffering you find that many people will opt to be satisfied with simply bettering themselves than becoming like Christ. They adopt an “I’m holy enough” attitude. An attitude that says, “I may not be like Jesus, but I’m better than I was.”

 I don’t think that is what God  meant by “Be Holy as I am Holy.” God didn’t send His Son to die on the cross for our sins so that we could adopt an “I’m holy enough” attitude. His desire is that our conduct would be worthy of the Gospel!

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church 

Prison Letters (Pt.3)-Provoking others to faith

(Study in Philippians)-Part 3

Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.-2 Corinthians 11:23-27 (NLT).

I am certain that when these things were happening that it was even more difficult for Paul to see how they were going to further anything but his pain and misery. I think that most of us are the same way. When we are going through something it is hard to see how what is happening to us is furthering the gospel. However, on the other side of it, once it has happened we can see more clearly how God can use what happened to further His work. It is hard to tell in the moment what experiences God will choose to use from our lives to further the gospel, so nothing that we experience should be discounted. 

Although God doesn’t want us to live in bondage to our past, Paul, himself, noted at the close to his letter to the church in Colossians 4:18: “Remember my chains.” Remember what happened to me. Some of the most important and powerful messages Paul penned, he authored from a prison cell. His circumstances provided the occasion for the gospel to be furthered.

How many times in Scripture do we read that God did His greatest works in the midst of the most difficult circumstances people faced.God showed up in barrenness, prison cells, overwhelming odds, and certainty of death. None of those things would have jumped out at us as being an effective way to further the gospel, yet God used them to do just that: 

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” -Romans 8:28

That is a hard truth to get our head around. God causes everything to work together for the good? Even the bad stuff? The answer is yes, if we will let God use it. Instead of burying our chains, we, like Paul, would do well to remember them and allow God to use those painful moments to work for the good of others. 

What you learned from losing a parent at a young age can help someone else who has recently lost a parent. Your overcoming drug addiction after losing jobs, your marriage, and family; God can use to guide others facing similar strongholds. When people see us overcoming obstacles it provokes confidence in them. 

“And I want you to know, my dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. For everyone here, including the whole palace guard, knows that I am in chains because of Christ. And because of my imprisonment, most of the believers here have gained confidence and boldly speak God’s message without fear.”-Philippians 1:12-14

When we allow God to use those painful moments of our lives to bless others, it becomes evident to those around us that our chains are in Christ. People will draw strength from those moments and boldly speak the word without fear. Our experiences can embolden people’s faith. 

Prison Letters: What has happened to me! (Pt.2)

(Study in Philippians)-Part 2

“But I want you to know, brethren, that the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel, so that it has become evident to the whole palace guard, and to all the rest, that my chains are in Christ; and most of the brethren in the Lord, having become confident by my chains, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.”-Philippians 1:12-14

Although Paul doesn’t rehearse the “things that happened to him" here in this passage, he gives us resume of adversities in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (NLT):

"Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.”

 Paul was not solely reflecting on his current imprisonment when he declared that “the things which happened to me have actually turned out for the furtherance of the gospel”. He had a resume of difficult circumstances, persecution and pain that he had already navigated. None of which, by the way, came as a surprise to him. 

Although he may not have known the precise events, he was aware of the suffering he would face in following Christ and proclaiming the gospel:

 “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”- Acts 9:16.  

How many of you would want to know the lengths that you would suffer for following Christ, right up front? 

Most of us have a hard time looking at what has happened to us and seeing how those experiences could’ve furthered the gospel. I think, in part, that is why Paul wrote 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (NLT). When you read through Paul’s experiences I am certain that it is hard to believe that any of them could be a catalyst for the gospel. 

Nevertheless, every person reading this column has had “things happen to them”. Some good, some not so good. Some uplifting and encouraging, some traumatic and horrible. Each of these events, however,  have furthered something in our lives: our anger, our doubts, our resolve, our determination, our lack of trust, our bitterness, or unforgiveness. But how many can say that “what has happened to you” has actually turned out to further the gospel?

Scott Burr

Dayspring Community Church